Arvind Kejriwal (ANI)
New Delhi: Delhi High Court questioned the Enforcement Directorate (ED) about its intentions regarding the arrest of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday. The query arose during a hearing about the ED's plea to cancel Kejriwal's bail in a money-laundering case related to the now-defunct excise policy. The court wanted to know if the ED would seek to arrest the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader again if the bail were to be revoked.
The high court's inquiry comes in light of the Supreme Court granting Kejriwal interim bail in the money-laundering case back in July. Given this, Justice Neena Bansal Krishna of the Delhi High Court described the matter as primarily an "academic issue" at present. She pressed the ED's counsel for clarity, asking, "What will happen if I allow your petition? Will you arrest him again?" The ED's counsel responded that there was no current intention to arrest Kejriwal and that no authority had deemed his arrest unlawful.
Justice Krishna also expressed confusion over the nature of the applications filed, citing their complex drafting. "Is it for bail, illegal custody, or compensation? I am confused," she remarked, according to a PTI report.
Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 and has remained in jail due to a separate corruption case lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over the excise policy. The AAP leader and his party have been accused of receiving ₹100 crore in kickbacks in exchange for favors granted to a consortium of businessmen under the policy. Despite being granted bail by a trial court on June 20, the ED challenged this decision in the high court, labeling the trial court's order as "perverse" and "one-sided." Consequently, the high court stayed the bail order.
The Delhi High Court has scheduled the next hearing for September 5, where it will further deliberate on the ED's plea and the legal proceedings surrounding Kejriwal's bail and custody status.
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